Entrepreneurs who donated in 2015, millions of rubles of “United Russia”, in 2016, won the party primaries. Now they got high chance to be elected to the state Duma, the Federation Council and regional parliaments
Victory in the primaries “United Russia” won the eight heads of companies and private donors, included in the twenty largest sponsors of the party. This follows from a comparison of the list of legal and physical persons to transfer money of the party in 2015 (it is published on the website of the CEC), and lists the winners of the preliminary vote. It took place on may 22, the leadership of United Russia claimed that received the highest number of votes will be included in the electoral lists in the elections of the parliaments of all levels, including the state Duma. The final lists will be approved at the party Congress on 27 June.
Fishermen and builders
In 2015 375 companies listed batch of RUB 936 million From the ten largest donors half were tied with the winners of the primaries.
One of the largest (third largest) transfer to the account of the party made far Eastern fish company “okeanrybflot”, she recalled 24.8 million RUB 32.6 per cent stake in the company, according to SPARK-Interfax, is owned by the Senator from Kamchatka Valery Ponomarev. He has declared the highest income of the members of the Federation Council in 2015, more than 1 billion rubles In may of this year Ponomarev participated in the primaries of “United Russia”, which determine candidates for the legislative Assembly of the Kamchatka territory. In 2016 he end of his term, and by law it can be re-delegated to the Federation Council only if elected to the regional Parliament. According to the message of the Kamchatka branch of United Russia, Ponomarev won the primaries in one of the constituencies. Part of the money structure Ponomariov got back. According to the financial report of the party, in 2015 the United Russia paid a “Okeanrybflot” 2.3 million RUB over the lease term.
Another 24.8 million rubles transferred to United Russia in Tomsk house-building company. Its CEO, according to the website of the company, Alexander spear does. He is acting member of the legislative Assembly of Tomsk region, and on 22 may defeated in the primaries for the nomination to the local Parliament in single-mandate constituency.
“Ustkamchatryba” United Russia has transferred 17 million rubles (the eighth-largest amount among all donations). Her co-owner and CEO, the Deputy of legislative Assembly of the Kamchatka Andrey Kopylov, the results of the primaries will again be elected to the local Parliament. The same thing can be done and the owner of “Custom-M” Yury Lomakin (won in the primaries to participate in regional elections), whose company donated to 16.8 million rubles (the ninth place in the list of donors).
The city Council Perm will be elected Nikolay Demkin, CEO and co-owner of the company PSSP. The company transferred the “United Russia” 16.8 million RUB (listed tenth in the list). The winners of the regional primaries occur among smaller donors.
To assist the head
Among the ten largest private donations at least three were made by people associated with the winners of intra-party vote. Only 392 people were transferred to United Russia 136 million rubles. the Largest contributor of them was the Deputy of legislative Assembly of Chelyabinsk region, President of “Yuzhuralzoloto Group of companies” Konstantin Strukov (Forbes estimates his fortune at $900 million), he listed the party 5 million rubles, of which about 600 thousand was returned to him. On 22 may he took part in the primaries, which determine the candidates for deputies of the state Duma. To them he was ranked second in the region after the journalist Elena Yampolskaya. Another 4.3 million RUB parties listed Vladimir Dovzhenko from the Chelyabinsk region: a man with the same name, surname and date of birth holds the post of chief economist in the company Strukova. Dovzhenko himself in the primaries is not stated.
The Deputy of the state Duma Nikolay Bortsov, the former owner of the OJSC “Lebedyanskiy” (Forbes estimated his fortune at $500 million) have listed a party of 3 mln. In the primary on may 22, took first place in the Lipetsk single-member district and will be able to again run in the lower house.
The head of the Central Executive Committee of “United Russia” Maxim Rudnev assured RBC that the party’s financing was not a condition of participation in the primaries. “Among primary voters, of course, there are businessmen, but we never looked at what they did donations or not”, — he stressed. It is unlikely in this case there is a direct correlation between winning the primaries and the financial support of the party, said political analyst Yevgeny Minchenko. Rather, it is one of the ways for businesses to demonstrate a willingness to invest in the success of his political power, he said.
Funds are no longer needed
Just for 2015, United Russia received significantly more revenue in the party account than in the previous year: 5.1 billion against RUB 3.4 billion principal amount of 3.5 billion rubles, and the party received from the budget. A sharp increase in revenues associated with the adopted in 2014 the law on which parties began to receive from the budget for 110 rubles for each vote (previously, this amount was RUB 50 per vote).
This year has significantly changed the composition of the sponsors of the party. Previously, a significant portion of the list of donors of the party was the so-called regional funds of support of “United Russia”. For a long time there sent money, many businessmen, and the funds, in turn, translated party of the required amount. Chapter funds were actually the second people in the local office after the Secretary, says the source close to the leadership of the party. In 2013 and 2014, these funds were transferred most of the money for the party. In the report for 2015 these legal entities is almost gone. Moreover, the report shows that the United Russia party returned the money to some funds because of violations of the law on political parties.
In 2015, there was no need to access the funds, explains Rudnev. “The party gets government funding, and also always had the support of entrepreneurial structures, the contributors were not only legal, but also individuals. The funds are separate legal entities that operate in an independent mode. In 2015 have coped without the support of funds,” he says.
Not sorry for a good party
The most generous donor of the companies became JSC “Concern Monarch”, it was transferred to United Russia 40 million rubles. Half of them acted in violation of the law on political parties, and was returned to the company. Founder, owner of 95% of shares of “Monarch” and the General Director of “Concern Monarch”, Sergey Hambardzumyan, in 2003-2007 he was Deputy head of the Department of urban planning policy of Moscow. In 2013 he was a Trustee to Sergei Sobyanin at the election. Hambardzumyan told RBC that helped the “United Russia”, because it supports the activities of the party. “It’s always easier to criticize than to do something. And here people are working, looking for the way, take young, evolving”. “I’m happy in the Church and invest, and invest in the party,” said Hambardzumyan, adding that earlier financed United Russia. To participate in the elections he does not intend and specific candidates is also not supported. “Even the lists I haven’t watched it, I’ll see when the time comes,” said he. Former CEO of the company Marina Grebneva also worked in the construction Department of the capital. Now Grebneva — rector of Moscow state University, in this position, she oversees the construction of Scientific and technological valley of the Moscow state University.
